Policy
Justice Department Advises Agencies on Continuing to Meet FOIA Requests During the Pandemic
Watchdogs and journalists have been using FOIA to shed light on the federal government’s coronavirus actions.
Modernization
The internal Air Force startup trying to drive mobile computing
COVID-19 and telework exposed the Air Force's lack of mobile capabilities. BESPIN is trying to change that, that one app at a time.
Ideas
As Telework Becomes the New Normal, Take 6 Steps to Reap the Benefits
This experience and rapid transition illustrated that telework can work, presenting an opportunity to attract and retain geographically dispersed talent.
Digital Government
New Intelligence Chief Takes Over as Community Has Altered Work Operations for Pandemic
Telework, staggered schedules and use of new technology are some of the ways intelligence officials are keeping themselves and the information they gather safe.
Digital Government
Agencies Start Reopening Offices, Though Approaches Vary
VA, EPA and IRS are among the agencies bringing employees back to their offices despite worker anxieties.
Modernization
GAO plans review of telework tech
The congressional watchdog plans to examine agency lessons learned from the rapid rollout of telework tools as part of pandemic response.
Emerging Tech
The Air Force’s Platform One Team Thought It Was Agile. Then COVID-19 Hit.
The pandemic pushed the service’s internal DevOps team to hit a 10-updates-a-day deployment schedule for a new secure communications platform.
People
Pentagon readies reopening plan
The Defense Department is planning to shift from pandemic footing to more normal operations, and is using White House issued criteria on declines in reported symptoms, declines in new cases and hospital access to determine when restrictions will be lifted.
Modernization
Federal CIO Sheds Light on What Agencies Are Learning in COVID-19 Response
U.S. tech chief Suzette Kent detailed how COVID-19 response efforts offer agencies a new vantage point into their past operations.
Modernization
COVID-19 shifts network priorities
Network infrastructure is a key to unlocking remote work in the new COVID environment, say agency CIOs.
Ideas
How Agencies Can Sustain Telework After the COVID Pandemic
Agencies are now financially able to boost their IT capacity and acquire equipment to operate in the work from home landscape.
Modernization
COVID-19 More Likely to Accelerate Telecom Modernization than Cause Delays, GSA Officials Say
The pandemic has delayed some agency transitions to the $50 billion Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract, but those are outliers, according to program leads.
Cybersecurity
CISA Releases Top 10 Most Routinely Exploited Vulnerabilities
The agency highlighted three threats targeting remote workers though other known issues date back to 2016.
Digital Government
New House COVID-19 Bill Includes Hazard Pay for Feds, Strengthens Protections for Telework and Sick Leave
Pelosi on Tuesday unveiled legislation that would provide up to $10,000 in premium pay for federal workers on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak and would prevent agencies from exempting employees from paid sick leave benefits.
People
Navy IT looks beyond COVID
The Navy's network operations, like most federal agencies, scrambled to shift to completely remote workforce, but the experience has also shifted workers' network expectations.
Podcasts
Critical Update: Teleworking Securely During the Pandemic
Nextgov staff recently joined the GovExec Daily podcast to discuss do's and don'ts of remote work.
Digital Government
Decisions To Reopen GSA Regional Offices Will Be Made At the Local Level
The agency’s open floorplans and other concerns make it difficult to reopen offices, but GSA’s telework culture has kept operations running smoothly, according to an agency official.
Cybersecurity
Survey Suggests Businesses are Overconfident About Their Security During COVID-19
Hackers and scammers are capitalizing on increased online activity during the novel coronavirus pandemic but security officials don’t seem worried.
Ideas
People Think They're Too Smart to Fall for Phishing Scams
That means they underestimate their own risk.
Digital Government